MARGARINE VERSUS BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1470, 19 June 1912, Page 8

MARGARINE VERSUS BUTTER.

POSITION ON THE LO-NDOX MARKET

-According to, tho latest advices from London, margarine has for. n- long time past been V factor in the provision business, but, it is added, only of late has it been a" thorn in tho flesh to Australasian, butter merchants. The improvc'lr.cnt'in quality as well'as , increase in production, , during recent years, coupled with the cheap price, are a powerful force in combating Australasian butter in the cities of England. One thing to note is the great cleverness which has marked the margarine campaign. The public do not liko the word "margarine," so they, are taught to ask for it under fancy names— the tendency of this is that gradually they will forget that they are buying margarine, notwithstanding the wrapDers. Again, manufacturers have nrranged with grocers to sell margariuo at Bd., whilst nominally keeping the' price at Is.; this is done by juggling the "overweight" idea. The consumption of butter of late in shops has been fully 30 per cent le-s than nor•mal. The average, price ot which butter is sold at the big shops is a shade over Is. Id. per lb. On this butter the shopkeeper is making about 12 per cent profit, a rate only enough' to cover the costs of his business. Ou.finest margarine sales (ho gross profit is*22i per cent. In these figures lie the key. to the butter position of tho future. The strong statistical position at the moment renders butter importers independent of the morearinc •tradu; but when there are large quantities of Australian on the market the margarine competition will be felt. M'ith the retail shops making money on mandarine, and not. on butter, there must, be rocks ahead for exporters. The big shop-keep-ers who have committed themselves to tho margarine— or "overweight"—trade at (nominally) lsv a lb., are not over anxious to go back to the Is. per lb price for butter. .So,-probably, there will.be considerable influence brought to bear to keep "colonial" fvoin benefiting by the popular shilling per lb. demand. ' ' I am assured by good judges, says the above'writer.that thij.nut. inargarino now being sold by the multiple shop comnanies is equal to any butter at a shilling per lb. Here'is a remarkable ease, adds tho writer. An acquaintance of mine, a butter merchant, now takes 61b. 8f butter and 21b. of margarine per week tor Ins household, and he tells me thnt he does not know one from the other.' How he became a-convert to margarine is as «t ?i ws ' : i ffis ,vif ? onc (la - v 5:,i(1 *° him; 1. thought you were a butter merchant and know butter when you tasted it. For days past you have been eating margarine. The good lady had experimented upon her husband. If the keen palate of a butter taster can thus be deceived no wonder the.public is easily taken in.